The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for making electrical connections and, in an embodiment described herein, more particularly provides for electrical connections made between dissimilar metals.
There are many circumstances in which electrical components are connected by directly connecting dissimilar metals to each other. For example, an electrical component having a gold contact may be connected to an aluminum wire by connecting the gold material directly to the aluminum material (e.g., by wire-bonding, electrical resistance welding, etc.).
Unfortunately, such electrical connections between dissimilar metals are relatively unreliable. One reason for this unreliability is that the metals have different thermal coefficients of expansion, and thermal cycling will result in eventual fatigue failure of the connection. Another reason for this unreliability is due to electrolytic cell corrosion at the connection.
Therefore, it may be seen that improvements are needed in the art of making electrical connections between dissimilar materials.